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When Americans expressed outrage last week over the seizure and surveillance of Verizon's client data by the National Security Agency, President Obama responded: "In the abstract, you can complain about Big Brother... but when you actually look at the details, I think we've struck the right balance."

I’m ashamed to admit this, but Friday night was the first Marion County Relay for Life event I’ve ever participated in. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve attended numerous Relay for Life events, but always from behind the lens of my camera. I’ve never actually been a part of the event, so to speak.

Some local citizens have heard about a proposed Bluegrass Pipeline to run through Nelson and 17 other Kentucky counties on its way from Pennsylvania and New York to the Gulf area. Some haven’t. Many are seeking more information. It might be helpful to lay out some of the issues from the perspective of community sustainability.

While it should surprise no one that agriculture is one of Kentucky’s biggest industries, we got a much clearer picture late last month of just how much of an impact it has on our economy.
According to the University of Kentucky’s College of Agriculture, the commonwealth’s farmers are the foundation for more than $46 billion in annual revenue.

The tragic loss of Officer Jason Ellis recently has left our community, the commonwealth and the nation grieving for this outstanding member of the Bardstown Police Department who was passionate about his work and the people he protected.
As a seven-year member of the police force, Officer Ellis was well known to all of us. He was a dedicated public servant, a devoted family man, and a wonderful citizen. Without a doubt, the passing of this fine brave man is a profound loss for all of us.

A little more than 30 years ago, Kentucky was facing a difficult problem: Too many of our brightest students were looking elsewhere after graduating high school.
Education leaders decided that something needed to be done to counteract that trend, so in the summer of 1983, on the campus of Centre College, they debuted the Governor’s Scholars Program, which gave 230 high school students from across the state an opportunity unlike anything they could have experienced at home.

“If you think a minute goes by really fast, you’ve never been on a treadmill.” -Unknown
Unless, that is, your treadmill is on Main Street and Santa Claus is on the treadmill next to you.
That was the scene Friday in front of the Marion County Heritage Center during The Lebanon Enterprise’s 2013 Main Street Treadmill Challenge.

As we put another school year behind us – and as parents wait for the inevitable cries of “I’m bored” in the not-too-distant future – now is a good time to take a closer look at all of the good things going on academically.
Over the long term, perhaps the best news came out of a 2012 Harvard study, which showed Kentucky tying for fifth among the states when measuring the gains our students have made over the last 20 years in math, reading and science.